Re: 1/27/04 - [AEXCA] Ampex Corporation vs. J.Doe 1, AKA "Exampex" on Yahoo!, et al.
Jennifer Stisa Granick, Esq., CA Bar No. 168423
STANFORD LAW SCHOOL
CENTER FOR INTERNET AND SOCIETY
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305
Telephone: (650) 724-0014
Facsimile: (650) 723-4426
Attorneys for: SCOTT CARGLE
(AKA: J. DOE 1 “EXAMPEX” ON YAHOO!)
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
AMPEX CORPORATION, EDWARD J.
BRAMSON,
Plaintiff,
v.
J. DOE 1, AKA “EXAMPEX” ON
YAHOO!, ET AL
Defendants.
Case No. C01-03627
DEFENDANT’S SUPPLEMENTAL REPLY BRIEF RE: DAMAGES
Date: January 27, 2004 [To be heard on February 3, 2004]
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Dept.: Dept. 2/Hon. Barbara Zuniga
INTRODUCTION
Plaintiffs may presume damages only if they establish that Mr. Cargle’s statements are libelous per se, and that Ampex and Ed Bramson are private figures, and that Mr. Cargle’s statements concern purely private matters. Otherwise, they must prove constitutional malice. Ampex Corporation and its CEO are public figures, and the mismanagement of the public company is a matter of public concern, yet Plaintiffs have offered no evidence of constitutional malice or actual damages. If only for this reason, Plaintiffs have failed to show a reasonable probability of success on the merits, and this Court should grant Mr. Cargle’s motion for attorneys’ fees and costs.
I. THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY AND THE ON-THE-JOB BEHAVIOR OF ITS CEO ARE MATTERS OF PUBLIC CONCERN
Mr. Cargle’s statements addressed matters of public concern. “Whether . . . speech addresses a matter of public concern must be determined by the content, form, and context of a given statement, as revealed by the whole record.” DVD Copy Control Ass’n, Inc. v. Bunner (2003) 31 Cal.4th 864, 884 (quotation omitted). Mr. Cargle posted statements on a message board devoted to discussing Ampex’s performance, the effectiveness of its top executives, and the technologies at the core of Ampex’s business. These statements are nothing like the ones in Varian Medical Sys., Inc. v. Delfino (2003) 113 Cal.App.4th 273, DuCharme v. Int’l Brotherhood of Elec. Workers Local 45 (2003) 110 Cal.App.4th 107, or Rivero v. Am. Fed. Of State, County, and Municipal Employees (2003) 105 Cal.App.4th 913.
The Varian defendants posted hundreds of “especially vituperative personal attacks.” Varian 113 Cal.App.4th at 289. There was no public controversy prior to the lawsuit about the company. The court recognized that “t is not insignificant that the Varian plaintiffs are publicly traded companies,” and that “some of the defamatory statements could arguably be considered matters of public concern, such as whether a company discriminates against or harasses women in the workplace,” but concluded a “vicious personal vendetta” is not of legitimate public concern. Id. a 298-99. In contrast, Mr. Cargle’s postings were part of ongoing discussions about Ampex’s massive financial losses, Mr. Bramson’s responsibility for those failures, and the future of digital content on the Web.
Unlike Varian, Rivero and DuCharme concern the broad construction of “public interest” under section 425.16. See CCP §425.16(a). In Rivero, the defendants published defamatory fliers accusing a janitorial supervisor of job-related misconduct, even though a hearing had found the charges unsubstantiated. “[T]he Union’s statements concerned the supervision of a staff of eight custodians by Rivero, an individual who had previously received no public attention or media coverage. Moreover, the only individuals directly involved in and affected by the situation were Rivero and the eight custodians.” In contrast, Mr. Bramson has been quoted in at least 100 unique news articles, has appeared on television and at industry conferences, has been quoted in at least 40 Ampex press releases, and has issued at least six Chairman letters to the investors holding some 60 million outstanding shares of Ampex stock. Defendant Doe1’s Memorandum of Points and Authorities Demonstrating That Plaintiff Edward J. Bramson is a Public Figure, p. 2, filed on December 24, 2001.
In DuCharme, the defendant posted information on its Web site about the plaintiff’s termination—an issue about which there was no public controversy. “DuCharme’s termination was a fait accompli; its propriety was no longer at issue. Members of the local were not being urged to take any position on the matter.” DuCharme, 110 Cal.App.4th at 118. In contrast, here there was a vigorous, ongoing debate about Ampex’s ability to rebound from recent failures, and whether or not Mr. Bramson was an effective leader. Given the very public nature of Ampex and its CEO, as well as the very public controversy surrounding the massive financial losses the company sustained, Mr. Cargle’s statements discussed matters of public concern.
II. PLAINTIFFS CAN NOT PRESUME DAMAGES WITHOUT ESTABLISHING CONSTITUTIONAL MALICE, AND THEIR SHOWING OF ACTUAL DAMAGES IS INSUFFICIENT AS A MATTER OF LAW
“If the defamation involves an issue of public concern, proof of actual malice is necessary to recover presumed or punitive damages even if the plaintiff is not a public figure.” Varian, 113 Cal.App.4th at 296 (quotation, citation omitted). Plaintiffs failed to produce evidence that Cargle doubted the truth of his statements.
Plaintiffs also have failed to produce evidence of actual damages. The claim that the “jury in New York will have no trouble awarding actual damages” is insufficient as a matter of law. See Forsher v. Bugliosi (1980) 26 Cal.3d 792, 807. Plaintiffs here produce no evidence of lost business, adverse reaction by friend or associate, nor decline in stock value caused by Mr. Cargle’s opinionated postings. In fact, Plaintiffs’ stock price actually rose subsequent to Mr. Cargle’s postings. Plaintiffs’ failed to show actual damages.
CONCLUSION
We respectfully request the Court grant Mr. Cargle’s motion for fees and costs.
Dated: January 22, 2004 Respectfully submitted,
____________________________________
Jennifer Stisa Granick, Esq.
____________________________________
James J. Pastore, Jr., Bar Certified Law Student
STANFORD LAW SCHOOL
CYBERLAW CLINIC
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, California 94305
Telephone: (650) 724-0014
Attorneys for Scott Cargle (aka: “Exampex”)
cyberlaw.stanford.edu |
